Lack of Egos Helped Put Teams in Series

It's not nearly as simple as Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez moving on, and the Giants and Texas Rangers moving into the World Series without them and despite them.

For both franchises, it took time. It took some incredible personnel moves and some luck. Then it took more time.

And now, three years after Bonds played his last game as a Giant, and seven (!) since Rodriguez was dispatched to New York, the Giants and Rangers are set for today's Game 1 of the World Series at AT&T Park.

Yeah, sure, lesson learned: Dump the two biggest, most controversial stars of this era (and their entourages), and you are destined for the World Series, right?